PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police have arrested a man they say robbed nearly a dozen beer stores and markets in the Northeast since late September.
Michael Malcolm, 24, is charged with 11 commercial robberies of stores. Deputy Police Commissioner Ben Naish said authorities were able to arrest him because he had the same pattern.
"When the employee opened the register, the offender would produce a black pistol," said Naish. "He racked the slide and demanded money. Over the next week, he continued to commit several commercial robberies."
Officers picked him up about a week later — immediately after a beer store was robbed along Bustleton Avenue.
"Uniformed police flooded the area. Responding officers noticed the man standing on the corner across the street from the beer distributor, at the bus stop. Identified him as a possible suspect. When the officers attempted to make contact with him, he fled," Naish explained.
They caught up with Malcolm and arrested him. Police say he had a gun and clothing that matched the robbery descriptions.
